The better the question
What’s the best way to stop a crisis turning into a disaster?
COVID-19 challenged the nation’s healthcare systems. Fast, smart and innovative action was needed.
The COVID-19 pandemic created urgent issues for the nation’s healthcare systems; challenging standard operational protocols, disrupting the medical supply chain and causing critical supply shortages. These issues were exacerbated by a lack of standardized communication across healthcare networks and difficulties balancing routine patient needs against immediate pressures created by an influx of COVID-19 patients.
Providence was one of the first US health systems to rapidly respond to the COVID-19 outbreak. With a pressing need to scale its telehealth services across seven states, 52 hospitals and 1085 clinics, they called EY to help them equip their team with the tools they needed to stay resilient through the crisis.
The better the answer
Digital solutions that keep hospitals running effectively
Data analytics predict supply chain needs.
When COVID-19 struck, it was feared that hospitals might run short on space and critical equipment required to meet the needs of their patients. EY worked with Providence to create a crisis command center that would monitor the changing needs of physicians, care providers and patients.
Providence did epidemiological modeling for COVID-19 activity, and EY then used that data to further develop a model for Personal Protective Equipment including ICU beds, ventilators, etc. EY’s model helped Providence to proactively predict workforce needs before the hospitals encountered shortages.
EY US Consulting Health Digital Leader Rachel Hall explains: “We looked at the growth rate of infections, supplies needed overall, usage of personal protective equipment, ventilators and the ICU demand. That was the predictive model we helped Providence build.”
Deploying telehealth at speed and at scale
Providence had begun to implement telehealth prior to COVID-19, but with the surge of demand they needed to quickly scale their solution. EY enhanced their training program to help quickly ramp-up physicians and care providers within an interconnected telehealth platform so that they could treat their patients from remote environments. In just three days, EY provided the resources to help Providence train 7000 professionals.
Establishing high-quality remote care for patients in need
There was a pressing need to ensure care continued for patients with conditions that would be jeopardized in a hospital setting. To help Providence maintain care for these patients, EY helped Providence design a new, technology-enabled, Hospital-at-Home model to cover areas such as clinical pathways, EPIC workflows, payment models and Command Center design to mention a few.
This Hospital-at-Home model provided the capability to identify specific conditions that would have previously required patients to be admitted: now care could take place in their homes. In order to deliver this solution, it was critical that health and social criteria for home healthcare were met, and that advanced patient monitoring devices were deployed so physicians had the data they needed to provide safe and high-quality care remotely.
The better the world works
The next wave of healthcare starts now
With a virtual care platform, Providence is better prepared to meet the future needs of patients.
Working quickly and collaboratively, EY helped Providence establish a virtual, data-driven solution to address the COVID-19 crisis and deploy telehealth at scale. With their new telehealth care model in place, Providence is now better prepared to address future demands on the health system, and their network of hospitals can more effectively treat patients while maintaining a safe work environment for their staff.
EY US Consulting Health Digital Leader Rachel Hall explains: “Our initial crisis response effort at Providence will support their broader telehealth transformation, by expanding their virtual care capability to serve patients in a post COVID-19 world.” As the country looks to re-open, Providence is working toward a fully implemented telehealth solution that interconnects a network of hospitals enabling them to provide more efficient healthcare post COVID-19.
